Broken Like A Promise
by 4ever5ummer
Summary: AU where Blair and Nate were never together, Nate and Serena still have unresolved sexual tension between them, the Shepard Wedding never happened, and nothing turned Serena away from her partying ways. Bart and Lily Bass have had enough and Lily is threatening to break up the NJBC by sending Serena away before she permanently sullies the family name. Eventual Serena/Nate
1. Of Shots and Men

SERENA POV  
Of Shots and Men

Serena Van Der Woodsen downs the shot, gulping back the burning liquid with a sense of relish. It's been a while since her head started tingling and now her vision is slightly fuzzy around the edges. It isn't enough. She can still see her mother Lily's face as she tells Serena that she is an embarrassment to the family name.

Who is Lily to judge anyway? Serena thinks bitterly, gesturing wildly at the bartender to keep the shots coming. It isn't like Serena has married and divorced half the Upper East Side.

The body heat of the guy next to her is uncomfortable but she doesn't care enough to try to push him away. No doubt he belongs to one of the drop dead gorgeous socialites she would be brushing shoulders with if she was at her usual club. Or does he belong to her? She can't quite remember, but the way he looks at her is definitely the look of a single man. Of course, even married men look at her like they are single so that isn't much of an indication.

Serena looks around at the dank, dirty interior of the bar she picked to drown her sorrows in. She hates the fact that one word from her mostly absent mother can turn her constantly happy countenance into one that wants a dimly lit den of iniquity. Except it isn't just the fact that Lily thinks she is humiliating, she also wants to send Serena away to boarding school so that they 'can keep the situation contained'. Serena downs more shots, waiting for her mother's face to disappear and trying to ignore the fact that some time in the last few years she'd been downgraded from a daughter into a situation.

After another round Serena turns to the man next to her, too drunk to take in any of his features, although a small part of her brain says attractive.

"Did you come with me?" She asks, not bothering to hide the slur in her voice. The man smiles at her and pulls his bar stool closer.

"If I say no will that ruin my chances of leaving with you?" he asks. Serena giggles, not caring that he's only saying a different version of the same line she's heard a thousand times.

"Hmm." She murmurs, looking up at him through her eyelashes. "Who said I was leaving?"

The man leans forwards and whispers in her ear "That would be the bartender who just cut you off."  
Serena frowns and glances at the barman, he looks back at her worriedly. He probably doesn't want her to make a scene - drunken underage girls would be bad for the bar even though it has no reputation to uphold. Huh. She can't seem to get away from giving people a bad name.

She considers leaving with her bar buddy; it isn't like this would be the first time. Except last time she woke up alone in an unfamiliar apartment without money or even a phone.  
It had taken two hours for Chuck Bass' PI to track her down and when they finally found her Blair rushed in with almost never seen before tears on her face. Nate had been pale and drawn, his hair a mess where he had obviously pulled it in a way he only does when he is close to panicking. Even Chuck looked less put together than usual, his bowtie undone and his signature scarf forgotten.  
After they were back at Blair's apartment Nate had taken Serena aside and made her promise not to leave with anyone unless she told one of her three best friends first.

Normally Serena doesn't do promises because she never breaks them, but when he'd looked at her with those intense blue eyes she couldn't refuse him. It was a change from the usual - they all knew that he could never refuse her anything but it was a shock to find out that when he really asked for something she couldn't refuse him either.

Serena turns to the man next to her and tries her best to look earnestly at him.

"I promised Natie I wouldn't disappear anymore." It was meant to sound more firm and professional but somehow the alcohol turns it into a little girls sentence. The man smirks.

"Natie your boyfriend?" he asks, clearly just indulging her and not caring whether the answer is yes or no.

"He's... He's just..." Even on her sober days Serena doesn't have a word to describe who Nate is to her.

Everyone else has a place: Lily is her absentee mother. Bart Bass is her all powerful, intimidating step-father. Chuck Bass is her newly acquired brother, long time best friend, fellow drinker, and familiar. Blair Waldorf is her closest friend, her opposite, her protector, and sometimes her toughest critic. Nate is... sunshine, warmth, calm, and summer. How do you explain that to someone?

You just can't, Serena decides.

She throws her hand in the air and doesn't bother finishing her sentence. The man doesn't seem to mind, he has a strange look on his face that Serena can't seem to interpret through the vodka.

"At least let me walk you to the street and get you a cab." He says.

Serena thinks about it, decides that she's not actually breaking her promise to Nate, and nods. The man slips an arm around her and steers her through the crowd. When they finally push outside it's freezing but he doesn't seem to notice her shivering. Nate would notice. She thinks angrily, the little girl in her wanting the comfort Nate always brings.

A cab appears quickly and Serena falls into it. Just as she is about to close the door the man grabs hold of it.

"You're going to let me share a cab with you, aren't you?" he asks.

Serena looks at him confused. She doesn't remember him talking about a shared cab before. Finally she shrugs and moves over to let him in.

"Only if I get dropped off first." She says, once again trying to sound firm and once again failing.

"Sure thing sweetheart."

Serena can't get her mind to focus on where they are going but when the cab grinds to a stop outside a building she knows she is nowhere near her destination. She looks at the man next to her and he gives her a sly grin.

"I thought you might want to come up to my apartment."

Serena shudders and quickly opens her door, instinctively reacting to a situation her mind can't really process. She stumbles onto the footpath and rushes down the street, ignoring the calls from the man behind her. She makes her way along the sidewalk, constantly having to remind her disobedient legs that concrete means yes, pitchmen means no.

She doesn't exactly know where she's going and somewhere between one step and another it doesn't just become about getting away from the sleazy guy, it's about getting away from the whole world.


	2. Man On A Ledge

NATE POV  
Man On A Ledge

Nate Archibald sighs when he sees the name on the caller ID. He prays to god that she is safe with strict Blair and not drunk dialing from some random bar. He is sick to death of having conversations with her that he has to pretend never happened when she wakes up the next morning. Still, he answers the phone anyway on the off chance that she needs him.

Who is he kidding? They both know how much she needs him. He answers the phone on the off chance that tonight is the night that she lets him do everything for her. That she lets him officially be with her.

"Hello?" Nate never knows what Serena's first words on the phone are going to be.

"Natie?" Nate would normally smile when hearing the nickname that only she is allowed to use, but this time the voice coming down the line is deep and woody – something that Serena Van Der Woodsen's voice would never sound like no matter how much she'd had to drink.

"Yeah that's me."

"Look, a gorgeous blonde girl left this phone on my bar and I speed-dialled the first number. She got into a shot competition and then she kept saying something about her mother? I cut her off and she just disappeared. I'm guessing you might want to find her."

"Thanks man. I'll be by to pick up the phone soon." Nate runs his hands through his hair. He wishes he'd known that she was going out.

Normally he, Chuck and Blair co-ordinate so that one of them is with her when she drinks, which is constantly. It's not like they have a schedule or anything but it's one of those things that goes unsaid. Except for tonight, apparently, since Serena is drunk somewhere in the New York night... alone.

After getting the address off the bartender Nate slams his phone shut, grabs his keys and is out the door in seconds, not wanting to give Serena too big a head start. Blair is going to kill him for not ringing her straight away but he doesn't want her yelling at Serena as soon as they find her.

When he arrives at the bar he can immediately tell from the dark decor and grungy floor that Serena didn't go there to party, she went there to forget.

Nate collects her phone and stands in the middle of the room at a complete loss. A sick feeling is rising up in his throat that he can't get rid of. He runs his hand through his hair and forces himself to keep calm and think. Just like her best friend Blaire, who always goes to the duck pond when she is upset, Serena has a number of signature places she likes to disappear to.

It takes Nate half an hour to get to the rooftop. It's not the rooftop of The Palace, or another high end apartment block, it's the rooftop of an old, condemned building that no one had the money to finally knock down. Considering the bar Serena was at, the building seemed in line with her current mental state.

He jogs up the eight flights of stairs, mentally preparing himself for seeing Serena again. It's not like they avoid each other, just that most of their talking is done on the phone, through texts and emails, or in the presence of Chuck and Blair. It's easier that way - less of a chance of eye contact and longing.

When he has convinced himself that he is ready Nate flings the fire door open and steps out into the night air. At first he thinks that he got it wrong, that she's not there. But then he hears her voice and knows he's read her right.

"Natie?" THAT'S what his nickname should sound like: soft, melodic, and full of summer. Serena leans towards him, her amazing blonde hair billowing around her in the rooftop breeze. Her tan legs go on for miles and her blue eyes threaten to drown him.

Nate holds up her phone, even though he knows that she won't ask for a reason for him to be there. Her face crinkles in confusion.

"The bartender rang." He explains. Serena sighs and stumbles over to him. She takes her phone and slips it in her pocket, her hand brushing his for a beat longer than required.

"Thank you." She whispers.

Serena is the loud one of the four, always squealing and exclaiming; her whispers have ten times the weight of anyone else's.

They stand side by side for a moment, looking out over the edge. Nate waits for her to speak. He's the only one who understands that questions scare her, that they demand too much. Blair interrogates her until she mumbles short, defensive answers. Chuck forcefully asks once, than gives up and hands her a drink. Nate simply looks at her.

He's tried a few times to explain to Blair that Serena is begging for someone who will just listen, but he hasn't put that much effort into it. He likes that he is the one that Serena tells all her secrets to, that she bears her soul to. He could almost hate himself for being so selfish.

On the rooftop Serena pulls Nate to the ground and sits with her head on his shoulder. He doesn't know how much of it is because she is drunk but when she shivers he opens his coat and wraps it around the both of them. She never asks for help so it is up to him to realise when she needs him... even if she is completely drunk on a rooftop because of something to do with her mother.

Serena nuzzles into his chest and puts her hand on his heart, too drunk to notice its rapid beat. "She wants to send me away Natie." She mumbles. Nate tenses up, realising how serious this is.

"My own mother thinks I'm too much of a disgrace to live in society. She said that she's done trying to fix me up and that I might as well go live at a boarding school so that I can't embarrass her anymore.

" Nate wraps his arms around her and rests his chin on her head. He couldn't imagine living under the pressure of being perfect without his embodiment of summer.

"She's not going to send you anywhere Serena." He can't tell if he is trying to reassure her or himself.

The tension doesn't leave her shoulders though and he can feel wet tears dampening his shirt. Nate leans back and lifts her chin so that she is looking at him.

"I have never been embarrassed of you in my entire life Serena Van Der Woodsen." He says slowly, making sure she understands.

"Not even when I threw up at assembly and you had to help Blair clean me up?" She asks meekly.

"Not even then. You're mum doesn't understand you Serena. She doesn't know you like Blair, Chuck and I do." Nate lets Serena lean against his chest again.

"What should I do?"

"We'll tell Blair and Chuck and let the evil masterminds deal with it."

It's silent for a moment and then:

"Ever think of jumping?" Nate looks at the edge of the rooftop.

"Never." He replies.

"I have." Serena says.

Nate shudders but before he can respond he feels her body slacken and knows that the alcohol has finally put her to sleep. He selfishly wishes that he was drunk too so that in the morning he doesn't have to pretend he can't remember how she feels in his arms, or her reference to the depression they all know she sometimes has but never acknowledge.

He listens to Serena's even breathing for a few minutes before carefully putting his arms around her bridal style and slowly getting up. She moves in his arms and gently grips the collar of his shirt in one of her graceful hands. He pauses for a moment but once it's clear that she's still asleep he moves forward and carefully carries her down the stairs.


	3. Sister Mine

**Thanks for the nice reviews guys - means a lot :) Hope you enjoy**

CHUCK POV  
Sister Mine

Chuck Bass would be lying if he said that the dinging of his apartment's elevator woke him, but he isn't pleased to be disturbed by it regardless. He quickly throws on a bathrobe, relishing in the fact that his father bought him his own apartment when the Van Der Woodsen and Bass families merged. It's not like he hates the idea of living with Bart, Lily, Serena and Erik but there are certain luxuries that can't be indulged in when family is present.

Chuck slowly strolls across the room, refusing to be hurried no matter who is currently standing in his foyer. As he walks around the corner he says

"This better be an impromptu visit by the ballet company that's in town."

Instead of pretty girls in tutus he finds his best friend Nate Archibald leaning against the closed elevator doors with a very passed out Serena in his arms, a half smile on his face.

"Fine, I'll do a few grand-jêtês for you later but I refuse to wear a leotard." Nate pushes past Chuck and makes his way to a bedroom.

Chuck follows him and watches as Nate places Serena carefully on the bed and pulls the covers over her scantily clad body. Even though it's technically the spare room Chuck is fairly certain that Nate has more of his crap in there than in his real room.

"Did you call Blair?" he asks, the absence of the brunette spitfire already giving away the answer.

Nate shakes his head and sits on the side of the bed. Serena unconsciously rolls towards the dip his weight has caused.

"I didn't even know she was going drinking tonight Chuck." Nate says, running a hand through his hair.

Chuck doesn't think he'll ever understand Nate and Blair's worry about Serena's drinking. They all know that Serena deals with life by having a veil of alcohol between her and reality, to dull her senses and take the edge off. He can relate – it's one of the many things he has in common with his stepsister. What he can't relate to are the barely there dresses that she runs around in. As nice as it is to get a glimpse of Serena's golden legs, he hates the thought of sleazy men checking her out.

"Relax Nathaniel, she's a big girl." Chuck has to turn away when he says it so that Nate doesn't see how much he actually cares.

Nate sighs and Chuck waits for him to say whatever is on his mind. It is refreshingly nice to have a best friend who is so utterly see-through. Nate can't lie for the life of him, and he always tells Chuck what's bugging him. That's probably the reason Chuck, who never trusts anybody, trusts him so much.

"She told me her mum wants to hide her away at boarding school."

And there, my friends, is the golden ticket. The only thing that is as messed up as him and his dad is Serena and her mum. It's kind of ironic isn't it, how the two worst parents on the Upper East Side ended up married? It's like they're so bad that they don't even want to give their children the possibility of having a good step parent.

Chuck already knows the latest drama his dear step mother has incurred, thanks to having a pair of eyes in every room of the penthouse. He'd tried to find Serena as soon as he'd found out that Lily wants nothing more than to cut all ties with her. Obviously he hadn't, otherwise Serena would have just gotten drunk in his apartment rather than pass out on the streets somewhere.

"It's ironic really how Lily is claiming to be to worried about the family name. Does she really think my father would have been interested in her if she had a pure, classy reputation?" Chuck scoffs.

Before Nate can reply Chuck's phone rings. Seeing Blair's name on the caller ID he contemplates simply not answering. Nothing is simple about Blair however. Not answering will mean an interrogation bigger than Ben Hur when she finally does get ahold of him. Chuck steps out into the lounge room.

"Yes?"

"Serena didn't answer her phone." As refreshing as Nate's honesty is, Chuck can appreciate Blair's bluntness almost as much. Serena and Nate usually avoid conflict at all costs whereas Blair just dives right in and says what she needs to without any thought about the impact. Or rather, she thinks a lot about the impact but she doesn't care.

"She went on a bit of a detour but she's here now."

"Is she ok? Are you with her?" Blair sounds angry but Chuck knows that just means she is talking about something she cares about.

"Her knight in shining armour is currently attending to her."

Blair gives out a sigh of relief on the other side of the phone.

"All we need to do is get him to marry her and I won't have to worry about her anymore."

"We're still talking about my step sister right? You're deluded if you think anything is going to tie Serena down."

"Please. She can't do anything without him."

Chuck sighs and doesn't say what they both know, that none of them can do anything without the other three.  
Blair mumbles something about being there at first light and Chuck disconnects the call.

Nate emerges from the bedroom and the two of them move towards the bar in unspoken agreement. Chuck pours two whiskeys and Nate takes a long sip of his before speaking.

"Do you think Lily's really going to do it this time?"

'Do it' meaning send Serena away. They had all heard her threaten to do this countless times before, but Serena's reaction makes it different this time around.

"I think that's a distinct possibility." Chuck replies before he takes a long draught of his own drink, desperately trying to ignore how much the thought makes him sick.

Once an appropriate amount of whiskey has been consumed Chuck moves around the apartment, turning off lights and getting ready to go back to bed. He pretends it isn't a big deal when Nate says his goodnight and disappears into his room. The one containing Serena.


End file.
